The Task Force of Supplies from the Mainland led by the Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) has been working closely with the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government to explore various means to stabilise the supply of goods from the Mainland to Hong Kong. In addition to road transport arrangements, transportation of goods by water and railway is already in service.
 
     A spokesperson for the THB said that the "Sea Express" water transportation service from the Mainland to Hong Kong has been fully launched and its capacity is rising to increase the supplies of fresh food, other daily necessities and manufacturing materials. The current supply of fresh food from the Mainland is stable.
 
     Currently, there are three water transportation routes between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, namely (1) from Shenzhen Yantian International Container Terminals to Hong Kong Kwai Tsing Container Terminals (KTCT); (2) from Shenzhen DaChan Bay Terminals to KTCT; and (3) from China Merchants Port (South China) Management Center (Shenzhen Mawan, Shekou and Chiwan Container Terminals) to Hong Kong River Trade Terminal and elsewhere. Together with the water transportation routes from other cities in Guangdong Province, including the routes from Guangzhou Lianhuashan Port, Nansha Port, Huadu Port, Zhongshan Huangpu Port and Zhuhai Doumen Port to different terminals in Hong Kong, the water transport capacity amounts to tens of thousands of tonnes daily.
 
     The spokesperson said today (May 26) that Shenzhen operated 50 cargo vessel trips and transported around 5 420 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cross-boundary supplies by water yesterday (May 25), equivalent to about 21 930 tonnes of goods, of which around 10 TEUs (about 20 tonnes) were fresh food and around 5 410 TEUs (about 21 910 tonnes) were non-fresh food, according to information from the Mainland authorities.
 
     Since the launch of services from the three ports in Shenzhen since February 18 to yesterday, a total of around 423 000 TEUs of cross-boundary supplies have been transported, equivalent to about 2 129 950 tonnes of goods, of which around 1 760 TEUs (about 15 060 tonnes) were fresh food and around 421 240 TEUs (about 2 114 890 tonnes) were non-fresh food.
 
     To further ensure a stable goods supply to Hong Kong through land transport, a trial run of cargo transfer was conducted by the THB at a yard situated on Kam Pok Road, San Tin, Yuen Long, and it was completed smoothly. The THB will continue to work with the Mainland authorities to fully take forward cargo transfer arrangements on the Hong Kong side. It is a contingency measure in response to the latest epidemic situation in the city so as to reduce the risk of epidemic transmission in both the Mainland and Hong Kong, ensuring both smooth cross-boundary land transport and a stable goods supply to Hong Kong.
 
     Meanwhile, to avoid a spillover of the epidemic, the Transport Department (TD) has arranged for dedicated staff to conduct rapid antigen tests for cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers at various land boundary control points (BCPs) from February 28 onwards. Only drivers with a negative result are allowed to enter the Mainland. In order to further improve the accuracy of the tests, the TD has already switched to use rapid nucleic acid tests at the BCPs. Starting from April 21, the sampling method for rapid nucleic acid tests has been further changed to nasopharyngeal swabs. A total of 3 204 rapid nucleic acid tests were conducted yesterday in which 15 drivers preliminarily tested positive. The TD has passed the cases to the Department of Health for follow-up.
 
     The THB will closely monitor the situation and co-operate with the Mainland authorities to facilitate and implement various measures to ensure a stable goods supply to Hong Kong, with a view to complementing the supply through road, water and railway transport, enhancing capacity and efficiency as well as optimising the flow of cross-boundary supplies.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority today (May 26) announced information regarding patients who tested positive via admission screening or testing with patients or staff members identified as close contacts and nosocomial COVID-19 infection cases.
 
     The following are the statistics of patients who tested positive via admission screening or by testing in public hospitals with patients or staff members identified as close contacts:
 

 
     Thorough cleaning and disinfection operations have been performed in the affected areas by the hospitals. The hospitals will continue to closely monitor the health conditions of patients and staff members, and communicate with the Centre for Health Protection on the latest situation.
 
     There have been no clusters of nosocomial infection cases reported in public hospitals today.

     The Labour Department (LD) is investigating a fatal work accident that happened in Tseung Kwan O this afternoon (May 26) in which a man died.

     The LD immediately deployed staff to the scene upon receiving a report of the accident, and is now conducting an investigation to look into its cause. 

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (May 26) the external merchandise trade statistics for April 2022. In April 2022, the values of Hong Kong's total exports and imports of goods both recorded year-on-year increases, at 1.1% and 2.1% respectively.
 
     In April 2022, the value of total exports of goods increased by 1.1% over a year earlier to $389.0 billion, after a year-on-year decrease of 8.9% in March 2022. Concurrently, the value of imports of goods increased by 2.1% over a year earlier to $425.6 billion in April 2022, after a year-on-year decrease of 6.0% in March 2022. A visible trade deficit of $36.6 billion, equivalent to 8.6% of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in April 2022.
 
     For the first four months of 2022 as a whole, the value of total exports of goods increased by 2.8% over the same period in 2021. Concurrently, the value of imports of goods increased by 2.7%. A visible trade deficit of $99.5 billion, equivalent to 6.1% of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in the first four months of 2022.
 
     Comparing the three-month period ending April 2022 with the preceding three months on a seasonally adjusted basis, the value of total exports of goods decreased by 12.0%. Meanwhile, the value of imports of goods decreased by 11.7%.
 
Analysis by country/territory
 
     Comparing April 2022 with April 2021, total exports to Asia as a whole dropped by 2.0%. In this region, decreases were registered in the values of total exports to some major destinations, in particular the mainland of China (the Mainland) (-9.4%) and the Philippines (-7.3%). On the other hand, increases were recorded in the values of total exports to India (+79.4%), Malaysia (+33.0%), Vietnam (+30.3%) and Taiwan (+27.5%).
 
     Apart from destinations in Asia, increases were registered in the values of total exports to some major destinations in other regions, in particular the USA (+31.3%) and Germany (+25.3%).
 
     Over the same period of comparison, increases were registered in the values of imports from some major suppliers, in particular the USA (+26.4%), Singapore (+15.9%), Taiwan (+14.5%) and Vietnam (+12.1%). Concurrently, decreases were recorded in the values of imports from Japan (-8.0%) and the Mainland (-5.3%).
 
     For the first four months of 2022 as a whole, year-on-year increases were registered in the values of total exports to most major destinations, in particular India (+53.0%), Taiwan (+34.6%), Singapore (+29.5%) and the United Arab Emirates (+25.8%). However, the value of total exports to the Mainland decreased by 3.1%.
 
     Over the same period of comparison, year-on-year increases were registered in the values of imports from most major suppliers, in particular Taiwan (+27.2%), the USA (+14.8%), the Philippines (+10.8%) and Vietnam (+8.1%). However, decreases were recorded in the values of imports from Japan (-4.1%) and the Mainland (-3.3%).
 
Analysis by major commodity
 
     Comparing April 2022 with April 2021, increases were registered in the values of total exports of some principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $19.8 billion or 11.3%), "miscellaneous manufactured articles (mainly jewellery, goldsmiths' and silversmiths' wares)" (by $3.8 billion or 19.4%) and "professional, scientific and controlling instruments and apparatus" (by $3.3 billion or 39.9%). However, decreases were registered in the values of total exports of "non-ferrous metals" (by $5.4 billion or -48.8%) and "telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment" (by $4.8 billion or -8.5%).
 
     Over the same period of comparison, increases were registered in the values of imports of some principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $7.0 billion or 3.8%), "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $3.4 billion or 10.5%), "professional, scientific and controlling instruments and apparatus" (by $3.4 billion or 41.1%) and "miscellaneous manufactured articles (mainly jewellery, goldsmiths' and silversmiths' wares)" (by $3.2 billion or 13.3%). However, a decrease was registered in the value of imports of "telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment" (by $9.3 billion or -15.8%).
 
     For the first four months of 2022 as a whole, year-on-year increases were registered in the values of total exports of some principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $81.4 billion or 12.1%), "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $17.1 billion or 11.1%), "professional, scientific and controlling instruments and apparatus" (by $16.9 billion or 51.9%) and "miscellaneous manufactured articles (mainly jewellery, goldsmiths' and silversmiths' wares)" (by $8.6 billion or 12.2%). However, a year-on-year decrease was registered in the value of total exports of "telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment" (by $52.5 billion or -22.4%).
 
     Over the same period of comparison, year-on-year increases were registered in the values of imports of most principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $57.3 billion or 8.2%), "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $20.8 billion or 17.2%), "professional, scientific and controlling instruments and apparatus" (by $13.6 billion or 42.1%) and "petroleum, petroleum products and related materials" (by $8.3 billion or 52.4%). However, a year-on-year decrease was registered in the value of imports of "telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment" (by $47.7 billion or -20.5%).
 
Commentary
 
     A Government spokesman said that the value of merchandise exports resumed meagre growth in April 2022 over a year earlier. Epidemic-induced transportation disruptions, though easing somewhat in the latter part of the month, continued to constrain export performance. Exports to the Mainland fell while exports to the US and the EU posted visible growth. Exports to other major Asian markets saw increases of varying degrees.
 
     Looking ahead, the global economic outlook has worsened amid rampant inflation in some major economies and monetary policy tightening by respective central banks in response, tensions in Ukraine, and the lingering threat of the pandemic. This would continue to weigh on Hong Kong's export performance in the near term. Nonetheless, the stable local epidemic situation should be conducive to the gradual revival of cross-boundary land transportation, alleviating some of the pressures facing the external sector. The Government will monitor the situation closely.
 
Further information
 
     Table 1 presents the analysis of external merchandise trade statistics for April 2022. Table 2 presents the original monthly trade statistics from January 2019 to April 2022, and Table 3 gives the seasonally adjusted series for the same period.
 
     The values of total exports of goods to 10 main destinations for April 2022 are shown in Table 4, whereas the values of imports of goods from 10 main suppliers are given in Table 5.
 
     Tables 6 and 7 show the values of total exports and imports of 10 principal commodity divisions for April 2022.
 
     All the merchandise trade statistics described here are measured at current prices and no account has been taken of changes in prices between the periods of comparison. A separate analysis of the volume and price movements of external merchandise trade for April 2022 will be released in mid-June 2022.
 
     The April 2022 issue of "Hong Kong External Merchandise Trade" contains detailed analysis on the performance of Hong Kong's external merchandise trade in April 2022 and will be available in mid-June 2022. Users can download the publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/scode230.html).
 
     Enquiries on merchandise trade statistics may be directed to the Trade Analysis Section (2) of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 5042).

     The Government announced today (May 26) that in order to fight the coronavirus epidemic, the Environmental Protection Department and the Drainage Services Department have been collecting sewage samples for virus testing in all districts, and had detected positive results in some areas, indicating that there may be hidden cases in the premises within these areas.
 
Rapid test
 
     As regards positive sewage testing results with relatively high viral loads in the following areas, the Housing Department and the respective District Offices will commence distributing about 210 000 sets of the COVID-19 rapid antigen test (RAT) kits to residents, cleaning workers and property management staff working in the following areas for them to take the test on their own, in order to help identify infected persons:
 

• North District – Ka Fuk Estate, Wah Sum Estate, Fai Ming Estate, Yan Shing Court, Ka Shing Court, Flora Plaza, Cheong Shing Court, Parkford Garden, Royal Knoll, Fortune House, Wa Mei Shan Village, Magdalene Garden, Century Court and Wealthy Villas
• Tsuen Wan District – Lei Muk Shue Estate, Lei Muk Shue (1) Estate, Lei Muk Shue (2) Estate, Primrose Hill, The Rise, Yau Ma Hom Resite Village, Chung Kwai Chung Tsuen, Tai Pak Tin Village, Sheung Kwai Chung Village, Hoi Pa San Tsuen Section Two, Shek Wai Kok New Village, Yi Pei Chun New Village and Kwu Hang Village

 
     Members of the public may refer to (www.coronavirus.gov.hk/rat/eng/rat.html) for enquiries relating to the use of the RAT kits.
 
     When using an RAT kit, please pay attention to and follow the instructions from the manufacturer to perform the test and read the result properly. It is advisable to record the displayed result by taking a photo immediately after reading. Users should wash their hands before and after performing the tests, and avoid placing non-essential items within the specimen collection area. After completing the test, wrap and seal all components of the test kit carefully and dispose of them properly. If the household environment is contaminated during the specimen collecting process, disinfection should be conducted with 1 in 49 diluted bleach solution or 70 per cent alcohol.
 
     People who obtained a positive result through an RAT for the first time can report via the online platform "Declaration System for individuals tested positive for COVID-19 using Rapid Antigen Test" (www.chp.gov.hk/ratp/). If individuals encounter difficulties using the online platform, they can call the automated system at 183 6119 to register their identification document and telephone number. The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health will contact the relevant person later to finish the report procedure.